America’s Hot Spots This Week: The 10 Hottest Places in the Lower 48

By Paul Harrison, Orbis Weather

Week of Thursday, October 22 to Wednesday, October 28, 2026. Published Thursday, October 29, 2026.

The hottest reading in the Lower 48 this week was 93°F (33.9°C), recorded 7 miles east-southeast of Hidalgo, Texas, on Wednesday, October 28. It was a cool week by national standards. Texas held or shared the national high on all seven days, and 10 of the 13 places in the top 10 are in Texas. Only three places outside Texas reached 91°F (32.8°C).

The top 10

Thirteen places made the list because eight are tied at 91°F for sixth place. All tied places are shown.

McAllen was the hottest official station, tied with Laredo. McAllen’s 91°F on October 28 was 5°F (2.8°C) above its normal of 86°F, short of the 97°F record set in 2025. Laredo’s 91°F on October 23 was 6°F (3.3°C) above normal, against a record of 97°F from 1994.

The hottest readings outside Texas, in Louisiana and California, are already in the table. Tecopa was the only desert Southwest site to make the list.

What stands out

The heat stayed in South and south-central Texas all week and peaked on the final day. The national high was 91°F or 92°F on five of the seven days, dipped to 89°F near Ingleside, TX, on Sunday, October 25, and reached the week’s top on Wednesday, October 28. In the Southwest, Phoenix peaked at 89°F (31.7°C) on Thursday, October 22, 2°F (1.1°C) above normal and well short of its 102°F record from 2003.

No daily or monthly high-temperature records were found in National Weather Service record reports for the week. The record reports issued were for rainfall and for unusually cool daytime highs in Southern California.

The week ahead

NWS forecasts keep South Texas warmest, with McAllen expected to reach 94°F (34.4°C) on Monday, November 2.

No Heat Advisory or Extreme Heat Warning was in effect at any of these places. Phoenix and Tucson were under Flood Watches instead, with Phoenix forecast to peak at 86°F on Thursday.

The NOAA Climate Prediction Center’s 6–10 day outlook for November 3–7, issued October 28, says “Near normal temperatures are modestly favored across southern portions of the Interior West,” with above-normal temperatures likely across the East.

How this list is made

The ranking covers daily maximum temperatures from Thursday, October 22 through Wednesday, October 28, 2026. It combines the Weather Prediction Center’s daily national high reports with airport (ASOS) daily highs from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet for Texas, Arizona, California, Nevada, Louisiana, Florida and Mississippi. WPC names only each day’s top reading, so other non-airport sites may have been as warm. Each place appears once, at its hottest reading, and all data are preliminary. A 98°F reading at Brownsville, TX, on October 27 was left out: it jumped 15°F within an hour, nearby McAllen read 89°F, and the official climate report listed the high as missing.

Frequently asked questions

Where was the hottest place in the country this week?

A site 7 miles east-southeast of Hidalgo, Texas, reached 93°F on Wednesday, October 28. The same site also tied for or held the national high on October 23 and October 27.

Why isn’t Death Valley or Phoenix at the top?

The desert Southwest was cooler than South Texas this week. Phoenix did not pass 89°F, and the only desert site in the top 10 was near Tecopa, California, at 91°F.

Were any heat records broken?

No high-temperature records were found in National Weather Service record reports for the week. McAllen’s 91°F on October 28 was 6°F below the date’s record.

Will it stay warm in South Texas?

Yes, according to NWS forecasts issued October 29. Laredo is forecast to reach 92°F on Monday, November 2, and no heat advisories are in effect.

Sources

• WPC US High/Low Temperature Extremes (XTEUS), via Iowa Environmental Mesonet — issued Oct 22–29, 2026
• IEM ASOS daily highs, Texas — Oct 22–28, 2026
• IEM ASOS daily highs, Arizona — Oct 22–28, 2026 (California, Nevada, Louisiana, Florida and Mississippi fetched the same way)
• NWS climate report, McAllen (CLIMFE) — issued Oct 29, 2026
• NWS climate report, Laredo (CLILRD) — issued Oct 24, 2026
• NWS climate report, Phoenix (CLIPHX) — issued Oct 23, 2026
• NWS climate report, Brownsville (CLIBRO) — Oct 22–29, 2026
• IEM hourly observations, Brownsville (BRO) — Oct 27, 2026
• NWS Record Event Reports, San Diego (RERSGX) — Oct 22–23, 2026 (other offices checked the same way)
• NWS forecast, McAllen, TX — issued 1:30 pm CDT Oct 29, 2026
• NWS forecast, Laredo, TX — issued 1:11 pm CDT Oct 29, 2026
• NWS forecast, Brownsville, TX — issued 1:30 pm CDT Oct 29, 2026
• NWS forecast, Tucson, AZ — issued 11:32 am MST Oct 29, 2026
• NWS forecast, Phoenix, AZ — issued 11:32 am MST Oct 29, 2026
• NWS forecast, Death Valley (Furnace Creek), CA — issued 12:06 am PDT Oct 29, 2026
• NOAA CPC 6–10 and 8–14 day outlook discussion — issued 3:00 pm EDT Oct 28, 2026